Cata Coll: "I'm a huge Barça fan, but even more anti-Madrid."

Sant Joan DespíCata Coll (Pòrtol, 2001) speaks to ARA, happy after having beaten Real Madrid at Montjuïc and before visiting Chelsea this Thursday (9 pm, TV3). The goalkeeper was decisive against Real Madrid, saving a penalty at a key moment in the match, when the score was still 2-0. "I knew I'd save it, it wasn't a penalty and since I wasn't supposed to whistle, I knew I'd stop it," she explains, confidently telling her teammates. Conviction, naturalness, and, for just over a year now, also psychological work to "manage the pressure and be better."

Towards Stamford Bridge.

— Yes! We're really looking forward to it. Beating Real Madrid has given us confidence. It was a match where many of us players wanted revenge. We're motivated, especially against Chelsea at their stadium... We know what kind of opponent they are. They're one of the best teams in Europe right now, but we also know ourselves very well, how to play, and what we need to do to win the game.

You just played at Montjuïc. Now go to Chelsea's stadium. Which atmosphere impressed you the most?

— San Mamés, in the 2024 Champions League final. A stadium like that, full of Barça fans, the way they cheered us on... It was incredible. I'll never forget it.

What's the difference between playing at Johan Cruyff Arena and playing in big stadiums like these?

— At Johan, we're like family, smaller and more intimate. I can talk perfectly with my teammates, you feel everything... In big stadiums, I can shout and they won't hear me! But of course, we love playing in big stadiums, with a great atmosphere... I wish every week could be like this!

Do you do anything special before playing a match against rivals like Real Madrid or Chelsea?

— The truth is, no. What helps me, in fact, is following the routines of any match, maintaining normalcy... This is what gives me security and makes me feel that what depends on me is under control.

Are you feeling nervous?

— Nerves? No. But it's true that against rivals like this you feel an adrenaline rush, but that's a good thing, isn't it? This is what every footballer loves. These are the matches you want to play. Going to stadiums like these, playing against teams like this, defending the Barça badge, knowing it could be a tough match... The adrenaline that football gives you in these kinds of games is what I love most.

Especially playing against Real Madrid. You've said before that you're more anti-Madrid than anti-Barça.

— I'm a huge Barça fan, a really big one, but I stick to it. I like that rivalry. I don't consider it toxic or anything like that. I play against teammates who are at Real Madrid, and when we're both on the Spanish national team, I feel great. But when we play against each other, they represent Real Madrid and Barça, and I always want Barça to win because I'm a Barça fan, and therefore I don't want Real Madrid to win. I love experiencing that rivalry as a player.

Is the difference in level between Barça and Madrid getting closer?

— I would say so. I must say that, for me, this year has been the best Real Madrid I've faced. Realistically, I think the 4-0 scoreline isn't fair to the game. They also had chances and could have scored a goal and gotten back into the match. We managed the game well, but I think they're getting closer and closer to the level they want to reach.

Did you see the game in danger at any point?

— Yes, at 2-0 they score a goal and you start to get nervous, they tie it up, you sit back... At 2-0 nobody could take it for granted even though we would win, we had to fight for the third, for the fourth... And we did it.

Your penalty save was key. It was a controversial penalty, which he protested a lot.

— I knew I'd save it because it wasn't a penalty. I told my teammates after the game, "I saved it because I knew it wasn't a penalty." It was only fair that I stopped it... I was convinced I'd save it, that I'd shoot where I shot it... Of course, you also need a bit of luck to hit the right side, but there's also a part that involves studying it. Just the day before, the goalkeeping coach had sent me videos of how she [Caroline Weir] takes penalties and a bit of a feeling, before the shot, of where...

What is the most difficult thing about being a goalkeeper?

— Being focused for the full 90 minutes isn't about saving a penalty or a one-on-one. For me, the challenge is maintaining concentration throughout the entire match, especially against opponents who don't create many chances, but when they do, you have to be fully focused. Working with my psychologist has been very helpful. I still struggle to stay focused for the whole game; sometimes my mind wanders: I think about what I'll do afterward, if friends have come to watch, or the next day...

Do you have any tricks for staying focused?

— Well, sometimes we sing songs. Like the ones in the Mallorcan corner, or the latest hit from the locker room, or the one that's popular right now, like with The brunette Back in the day, for example [laughs].

Many athletes see a psychologist. Do you recommend it?

— Yes, very much so. I used to be one of those people who thought I could handle everything on my own, until you mature and realize you can't. As a footballer, you feel a lot of external pressure, and internal pressure too, when you create expectations that you think you can meet and then you don't. I've been going for a little over a year now, and it's helped me a lot to balance all of this.

If you weren't a footballer, what would you like to be?

— I didn't know I was going to be a footballer, and I never imagined I'd end up at Barça... I was a hobby As a child, I alternated between soccer and tennis until, at 15, my father told me I had to choose between the two, and I chose soccer. It's the sport I like most after soccer, and if I weren't a soccer player or a tennis player, perhaps I'd be a policeman, like my father.

Do you miss Pòrtol?

— Yes, very much! I miss everything about Pòrtol [laughs]. In the end, it's my home, it's a small town... There, I don't feel like a footballer, but like someone who has simply always lived there. My family is from there, all my friends are from there... I go back as soon as I can.

What do you like most about Barça?

— I think the phrase 'More than a club' defines it perfectly. Barça believes in the project, they trusted me from the very beginning, and for me, Barça is everything: opportunity, excellence, ambition... Above all, it's home. I feel at home, and that's very important to me.

Do you see yourself doing the whole degree?

— I consider myself a very Barça-type player. I can't see myself on a team where I wasn't involved in the build-up play. So, hopefully. For now, I have a contract until 2029.

Luis Rubiales has published a book and is back in the public eye. What do you think?

— She wants the spotlight, and she's got it. I didn't even know she'd published a book... That's all in the past now, she wants to be the center of attention again, but I don't care what she does.

There have been departures and only one new signing. Is the squad better or worse than last season?

— Neither better nor worse. It's pretty much the same, I'd say. Some players have left, and only Laia Aleixandri has arrived, but Clara Serrajordi and Aïcha have been promoted from the reserve team and are doing very well. We have to have faith in La Masia. The younger players who were already in the first team also have an extra year of experience... I'd go anywhere with this team knowing we'd win or be close to winning.

What's it like working with Pere Romeu?

— Very good. He's a really good guy and knows a lot about football. I've never met anyone who knows as much about football as he does. Plus, he's someone you can talk to and trust, and it's really important to be able to chat with him even if you have a different opinion. He's doing an incredible job, like everything else.staff. I trust him completely. He inspires confidence in me too. Sometimes, if I have doubts, for example, about the ball's exit, I tell him and he tells me to trust him, that it will be fine.

The latest. Rafael Navarro makes his debut as Switzerland's coach. He left the locker room just a couple of weeks ago. Will he miss it?

— Obviously. He was a guy. topHe's a characterful coach. I think he's one of the best at set pieces, and he also helped us a lot with individualized videos for each player. I think everyone understands why he's leaving. It's an opportunity I couldn't pass up.